Fence-post



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S. J.MlLLER.

FENCE POST. y No. 407,365. Patented July 23. 1889.

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' view of one of the posts.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICEe SAMUEL J. MILLER, OF CAMBRIDGE CITY,INDIANA.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,365, dated July 23,1889.

Application iled January 4, 1889. Serial No. 295,424. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, SAMUEL J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cambridge City, in the county of Vayne and State of Indiana,have invented new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which thefollowing is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in fence-posts; and it consists ina certain novel construction, fully described hereinafter, andspecifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a wirefence provided with my improved posts. Fig. 2 is a side view of aportion of the same, showing the posts in section. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional Fig. 5 is a detail viewof vportion of one of the intermediate posts, showing method offastening wire theret0.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates one of the terminalposts of the fence, formed approximatelyT U or V shaped in section, andof sheet metal, the open side of the post being placed toward the fencewhich it supports, as the post in this position is better capable ofresisting the strain or tension of the fence.

In the ridge or apex on the outer side of the post is formed a series ofperforations a a, in which are placed the Shanks of the screweyes B, theeyes being on the inner or concave side of the post, while nuts arescrewed on the outer threaded ends of the shanks of the eyes.

C is an intermediate post, made similar in shape to the posts A, andarranged with the convex face thereof across the line of the fence. Thesaid post is inclined slightly away from the line of the fence ortoward. the concave side, and small staples c c are secured on theconvex side of the post by passing tiewires through. perforations in thepost.

D D designate the wires stretched between the posts, and secured at theends in the eyes which are attached to the terminal posts.

It will be seen that when the nuts are screwed tightly on the outer endsof the shanks of the eyes the wires will be drawn very tight. The wireis passed through the eyes or staples c c on the sides of theintermediate posts. It will be seen that when the wires are stretchedvery tight the strain upon the upper ends of the terminal posts will bevery great, and to prevent them from being drawn inwardly braces must beprovided. Small openings or perforations a a2 are formed in the ridge orapex of the post about the center and near the upper end, respectively,and E represents a brace formed of a U or V shaped bar, provided at theupper end with a small projection or linger to pass through theperforation 0, and beveled at the lower end to rest flat on the groundsome distance from the post. A small bolt c is passed through the lowerend of the brace, and to the ends of the same are secured the arms ofthe clevis F.

G designates a tension bar or rod secured at the inner end to theclevis, and passed at the outer end through a perforation in the lowerend of the post, and a nut is screwed on the outer threaded end of thesaid rod. It will be evident that when the nut is screwed tightly on therod G the lower end of the brace will be drawn toward the foot of Jthepost, and the upper end of the post will be forced outwardly. To moreeifectually brace the post, I provide arsecond brace E, in shape similarto the brace E, and provided at the upper end with a projection to besecured in the perforation a2 in the post, and at the lower end with asimilar projection to be secured in a perforation in the 'upper side ofthe brace E, near the lower end thereof. It is evident that when thetension-rod is drawn outwardly by means of the nut on the end it willdraw upon the lower end of the brace E, and as the lower end of thebrace E is rigidly secured thereto it will also be drawn outwardly, andthus securely brace the upper end of the-post.

It may be desirable sometimes to use but one brace, and in that case Iuse (preferably) the brace E', securing the clevis thereto, andattaching the inner end of the tension-rod to the clevis, and passingthe outer end thereof through the post, in the same manner ashereinbefore described. This construction is shown in Fig. l at one endof the fence.

As before mentioned, the intermediate post is inclined slightly towardthe concave side, or away from the line of the fence, and a per- IOOfor-ation fc is formed therein near the upper end, and a smallprojection on the upper end of a brace H is passed through theperforation, and the lower end of the brace is secured rigidly to theground.

Between the main posts of the fence I provide stays I I, which are muchlighter than the main fence-posts, and designed to merely steady thewires of the fence. The stays are secured at the lower ends in theground, and small perforations are formed therein above and below thewires I), where they cross the said stays, and through the perforationsare passed tie-wires 'i t', thus forming a loop or eye over the wire D,and the ends of the tiewires are carried to the sides of the stay andcoiled around the wire I), as shown in the drawings.

The fence, as herein described, is very simple, and will be foundextremely strong to resist strain.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the use of wire inthe construction of a felice with my improved posts, as other materialsmaybe used with equal facility and advantage; also, I do not wish tolimit myself strictly to the construction of a post with a U or V shapedsection, as the said post would be almost equally as effective if thesection were curved, or of any other shape in which it was concave onone side and convex on the other.

It will be seen that the object in forming the posts with the U or Vshaped or concaveconvex section is that when so formed they are verydifficult to bend, and thus are capable of resisting the strain put uponthem, and, further, they are very light and neat in appearance.

It will be readily seen that by means of the braces herein describedwhen the wires be come loose they may be easily drawn tight by forcingthe upper end of the post outwardly; or if the wires at the bottom ofthe fence are also loose they may be tightened by screwing the nuts onthe outer ends of the eyes B. Ample means are thus provided formaintaining the felice at all times in the proper condition.

The terminal posts are preferably secured in place by pinning the lowerends thereof to the upper ends of anchors (or posts) driven into thegroi'md, and the intermediate posts may be secured in place in the sameway, or they may be driven directly into the ground. The stays aredriven into the ground.`

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l.. In a fence, the combination of the end posts, each having upper andlower perforations, two inclined braces E E', the lower having anopening at its lower end with its upper end engaging the lowerperforation of the post, the upper brace having its lower end engagingthe opening in the lower brace and its upper end engaging' the upperperforation of the pests, the clevises pivoted to the lower braces, andthe tension-rods connected to the clcvises and end posts, substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose described.

f3. In afence, the end posts, in combination with the two inclinedbraces E E', arranged one above the other, and both having their upperends connected to the end posts at different points, the brace E bearingat its lower end on the brace E, and the latter brace resting on theground, and the tension-rods connected to the brace E, and also to theend posts, substantially as described.

The combination, in a fence-post, of the post A, having the perforationsa a2, respectively at its center and its upper end, the brace E, havinga beveled lower end, which rests on the surface of the ground, andprovided with a perforation in its upper side near its lower end, theproj eetion on the upper end of the post fitting in the perforation a',the brace E', having a projection on its lower end fitting in theperforation in the lower end of the brace E, and provided with aprojection on its upper end which fits in the perforation a2, and thetension-rod secured to the lower end of the brace E, passing at itsouter end through the lower end of the post, and having a nut on its endto draw the said rod outwardly, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixcdmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL J. MILLER.

Titnessesz ADAM RUMMEL, THOMAS E. FRANCIS.

IOO

